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The 

RICHEST JEWEL 


Holcomb 















Class P I _ 

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Copyright IV’ _”R_L. 

COPYKIGHT DEFOSm 




















THE RICHEST JEWEL 











TA 

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Copyright, 1923 

The STRATFORD CO., Publishers 
Boston, Mass. 



The Alpine Press, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. 

SEP 28 *23 

©C1A760078 

, -Vv* | 


To 


ROBIN 

Of all Friends the Worthiest 

































THE RICHEST JEWEL 


O NCE upon a time — for so the real 
tales begin — once upon a time 
there was a pleasant province in 
the midst of a great kingdom. This 
province, completely shut in by high and 
wooded hills, was small. So small it was 
indeed that every dweller there knew 
every one else and, as the people were 
simple folk, life passed away very quietly 
and happily. It was like a community, 
for the farmers dwelt upon the lands sur¬ 
rounding the one town where lived the 
trades-people. They lived peaceably to¬ 
gether, each happy in his own pursuits; 
the farmers living and dying upon their 
farms, handing down their acres to their 
sons. The trades-people after the same 
manner left their various businesses in 
the hands of their children. Very rarely 
[ 1 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


indeed did any man leave the town for 
the farm, or the farm for the town; very 
seldom did anyone go out to the great 
world beyond the hills; and still more 
seldom did anyone come into the com¬ 
munity from that outer world. Thus the 
inhabitants of the province lived and 
died, content with the small knowledge 
gained as children in their schools; re¬ 
ceiving as tales of wonder all news from 
the greater world whose only connection 
with them was through the semi-yearly 
visits of traders who brought wares to 
their shops and markets from the great 
cities that lay in the regions beyond the 
hills. 

One there was in the town, however, 
who had not always dwelt there. His 
father had come to the province from a 
distant city, many years before, bringing 
with him a wife fairer than any maid in 
the community. He had built for himself 


[2] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


a home in the midst of beautiful gardens, 
just on the edge of the town and not far 
from the stream, Sereno, that gave to the 
province its popular name, the Land of 
the Shining River. This man had a vast 
fund of knowledge and was said to own 
more books than could be read in a life¬ 
time, and not all of them in his own lan¬ 
guage. He came to be looked up to by all 
the people as a superior in many things, 
yet some were wont to criticize because he 
followed no trade. “But what need?” 
said others, “he is rich. It is well that he 
deals not in business to make wealth for 
which he has no use.” 

After living in the valley of the Sereno 
for nearly twenty years and his wife hav¬ 
ing died, Famen, for that was his name, 
closed his house and went back to the city 
whence he came, taking with him his only 
child, Saven, then in his early manhood. 
Rumor said that the boy was to be edu- 
[3] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


cated in the city of his fathers and that 
some day he would return. After seven 
years had passed Saven did return with 
his wife and an infant son, and with him 
too, came Famen, his father—come home 
to die. For Famen was old, and a few 
years after, passed away and Saven be¬ 
came master in the House of the Beauti¬ 
ful Gardens. 

Saven’s son, whose name was Cadmar, 
was six years of age in the year of his 
grandfather’s death. The next year was 
born his sister whom they called Iris be¬ 
cause she came on the day that the first 
iris unfurled their filmy banners in the 
gardens. The little Iris grew to be a child 
as fair as the flower for which she was 
named, and won a strong place in the 
heart of her brother. 

Now when the lad Cadmar was twelve 
years old, his father led him one day 
through the Beautiful Gardens and down 


[4] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

to the banks of the Sereno. There under 
vine-hung trees he seated himself by the 
lad’s side, and after silently watching the 
shining flow of the waters for some time, 
at last spoke thus: “Cadmar, my son, you 
have now come to an age where you can 
understand that which I have to tell you. 
See that you listen well for my message is 
of utmost importance. At the hour of 
your birth there came one who placed in 
my keeping a gift for you. The gift is of 
extreme value, and I have guarded it with 
the greatest care, as the Giver stipulated, 
until this day when I have judged you to 
be able to possess and care for it yourself.” 

“What is it, father? Let me see it. In¬ 
deed I will keep it carefully.” So said the 
lad, Cadmar, his face alight with eager¬ 
ness. 

Then Saven half sadly drew forth 
something that gleamed and sparkled in 
the sunshine. It was a jewelled ornament, 
[ 5 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


depending from a long cord of silver. 
Hanging the cord about Cadmar’s neck 
he lifted the pendant on his palm that the 
lad might see it more plainly. It was a 
flat disk of gold with a few jewels set 
irregularly in it. 

“How it gleams!” cried Cadmar, tak¬ 
ing it in his own hand, “it must be pure 
gold.” 

“No,” replied his father, “not quite 
pure. It is mixed with alloy, as you 
have learned all gold must be, to give it 
strength.” 

“But what is the meaning of it, father? 
Why should I be given so rich a gift? 
And what are the jewels for?” 

“It is a symbol of life,” answered 
Saven. “The gold is for the common joys 
of life, and the alloy of baser metal is for 
sorrow and pain and unpleasant things. 
If you give them the proper place in your 
life they will make you strong, as the 
[ 6 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


alloy strengthens the gold. Just now the 
gold looks very bright to you but there 
will be times when it will seem dull in¬ 
deed, as if it were all alloy.” 

“And the jewels; are they symbols 
too?” 

“Yes, symbols of love. How many see 
you in the disk now?” 

“I see three diamonds that are very 
bright. Methinks they must be for the 
love I bear to you, my father, and to my 
sweef mother, and my fair sister Iris.” 

“You are right. Know also, that as you 
grow older and form other attachments, 
other jewels will set themselves in this 
disk. Guard them carefully. If ever you 
transgress the sacredness of any love its 
jewel will become duller and duller until 
it falls away altogether. And remember, 
that one of these jewels when lost may 
sometimes be regained, but never so pure 
and whole as you at first had it. One 
[ 7 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


thing more I have to tell you that is the 
best of all. He who entrusted me with 
this, bade me tell you that there is a jewel 
fairer than all others that shall be set in 
the disk if you are worthy of it. Forget 
it not, Cadmar. Live purely and seek 
always to find the Richest Jewel. ,, 

Then young Cadmar rose up with shin¬ 
ing eyes and spoke to his father, “Fear 
not; I will guard well this precious gift. 
I will endeavour to let no jewel grow dull 
and always will I seek for the richest one 
of all. But tell me, how shall I know 
when I have found it?” 

“This is given you for a sign. When 
you have found the Richest Jewel it will 
shine in the very center of the disk, and 
its beauty shall surpass that of all the 
others and yet make each more fair.” 

In the same year that Cadmar learned 
of his wonderful gift the House of the 
Beautiful Gardens was closed once more. 


[8] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

and Saven with his wife and children 
went to the great city. There he put the 
lad, Cadmar, in schools so that he grew to 
young manhood well versed in languages 
and literature and skilled in some of the 
useful sciences. Teachers were hired 
likewise for the gentle Iris and she 
learned the languages and studied litera¬ 
ture as her brother did, besides the arts of 
the household which every true woman 
should know. Then, when the education 
of his children had been completed, 
Saven took them and their mother back 
to the Land of the Shining River. They 
were received with gladness by their old 
acquaintances who marvelled much at 
the beauty of Cadmar and his sister. Of 
the former they said, “He is like some 
young god. We have never seen a man so 
noble.” There was truly something royal 
in Cadmar’s appearance and bearing. He 
was tall, broad-shouldered; his clean, 
[ 9 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


handsome face wore the flush of perfect 
health, and his clear blue eyes fell not 
before the gaze of any man. There was a 
great likeness between him and his sister 
but her beauty was delicate. She was 
fragile like the flower whose name she 
bore. 

Cadmar was supremely happy. He 
had gained more than knowledge in the 
great world. He had found two true 
friends, and now two brilliant rubies 
shone beside the diamonds in his disk of 
gold. One of the friends was a school¬ 
mate but the other was an old man of 
great wisdom who had been his teacher. 
Cadmar had parted from them in great 
sorrow but he had in his rubies the assur¬ 
ance of their love and from time to time 
messengers went back and forth between 
them, carrying letters. 

In the year of their return from the city 
the wife of Saven sickened and died and 


[10] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

grief reigned instead of joy in the House 
of the Beautiful Gardens. For the first 
time Cadmar’s golden disk looked dull to 
him. He grew restless and unhappy, and 
at last went one day to his father, saying, 
“Father, let me go. I am dissatisfied here 
and only make you more unhappy. I am 
a man grown; it is not meet that I should 
live longer in idleness. Let me go back to 
the great world where I may work with 
and for others. I think that I may never 
find that Richest Jewel you bade me seek 
unless I serve the world in some way.” 

Then was Saven very loath to give his 
consent but he knew that what his son 
said was true. Therefore he gave him 
wise words of counsel and blessed him, 
saying, “The Lord hear thee in the day of 
trouble; the name of the God of Jacob 
defend thee; send thee help from the 
sanctuary and strengthen thee out of 
Zion.” 


[11] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


Cadmar took leave also of his sister, 
Iris, who wept bitterly and begged him to 
sometimes send them messengers to tell 
how he fared. Then she gave him a book 
that had been his mother’s and let him go. 

Thus Cadmar, the son of Saven, left 
the Land of the Shining River and en¬ 
tered the busy life of the great world 
beyond the hills. His golden disk seemed 
dull in those first days alone, but the jew¬ 
els shone more brightly for that, so he was 
encouraged and began to work. He found 
many who needed his services and to all 
who came he gave of the best he had. He 
was a physician. His teacher had been 
an old man, long famous for his skill. 
Though Cadmar was but young he prac¬ 
ticed with success all the knowledge ac¬ 
quired from his master, now dead. As he 
worked he discovered new secrets in the 
compounding of medicines, and methods 
of surgery that had not yet been tried. 

[12] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


For a year this work filled his time and 
thought and helped to dull his grief. But 
little by little the sorrow of his mother’s 
death wore away and he forgot the pain 
of parting with his father and sister. The 
gay life of the city began to attract him. 
From scorning it he came to tolerating it, 
and from tolerating to liking. He joined 
a group of young men who seemed to be 
fine fellows indeed. For a twelve-month 
he led the gayest of lives. He ceased to 
work as conscientiously as before and 
spent money faster than he earned it. 
Once or twice a warning voice seemed to 
be repeating his father’s words of counsel, 
but he silenced it impatiently. “I will 
have pleasure now while I can enjoy it,” 
he told himself. “Time enough yet to 
save.” 

Then because he did not work well 
people no longer trusted him. One after 
another his patients ceased to come. There 
[ 13 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

remained only a few, the poor whom he 
had helped without charge. But he was 
soon as poor as they. He was forced 
to sell nearly all of his medicines to the 
apothecaries that he might buy bread. 
When his money was quite exhausted he 
hoped to get help from his gay compan¬ 
ions but when he went to them they only 
laughed scornfully and left him. Too late 
he considered the advice of his father. 
“Oh, false, deceitful men!” cried Cadmar, 
“why did I ever listen to your flattering 
words? You have robbed me of sub¬ 
stance, almost of honor; what shall I do?” 
As he lamented thus his glance chanced to 
fall upon the book that had been his 
mother’s, which Iris had given him when 
they parted. He picked it up. It opened 
in his hand and upon a page he read these 
words. “The Lord hear thee in the day of 
trouble; the name of the God of Jacob 
defend thee; send thee help from the 

[ 14 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

sanctuary and strengthen thee out of 
Zion.” Then he remembered how his 
father had blessed him with these very 
words, and though he did not fully under¬ 
stand them he felt vaguely comforted. 
He bethought himself now of his greatest 
treasure, the golden disk, at which he had 
not looked for some time. “At least I 
have my pendant and its jewels,” he said. 
“They tried once to persuade me to sell it 
but I would not listen to them. It is for¬ 
tunate that they have not stolen it away 
from me.” He then drew forth the pen¬ 
dant but as he looked upon it his heart sank 
within him. For the gold was sorely tar¬ 
nished and the brilliance of the jewels 
was dulled. Scarcely a gleam came from 
the diamonds that had once flashed so 
brightly, while the rubies only glowed 
faintly as dying embers in the ashes of a 
hearth. In bitterness of spirit, then, did 
Cadmar, the son of Saven, repent of his 

[ 15 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


folly. “Woe is me that I should so soon 
forget the love of my parents and my 
sister. My true friends I have wronged 
also, by consorting with false ones.” 

The next day Cadmar left the city, re¬ 
solving to live humbly in some unknown 
place until he should have regained what 
he had lost in self-respect. He had come 
from his father’s house rich; he went 
forth from the city poor. The clothing he 
wore, some rare medicines he would not 
sell, a small quantity of the commoner 
remedies, and a few treasured volumes of 
the old physician’s books, these were all 
he had. But he felt the golden disk upon 
his breast and hope was strong within 
him. He set out bravely and after a long 
day’s journey asked lodging at an inn. 

“Give me some work to do,” he said to 
the landlord, “for I have no money to pay 
for my bed.” 

“There is work enough,” returned the 
[ 16 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


landlord, “and beds in plenty, for my 
servants have fled and no guests stop here 
since the fever came. Look to the stables 
if you will. The beasts have had little 
care.” 

“But what is this fever? We knew not 
of it in the city.” 

“The city never knows,” quoth the 
landlord bitterly. “All are gay there. But 
the fever may reach the gay ones too. The 
fever — none of us know what it is. The 
countryside is full of it. Some have died. 
My boy—” he choked a sob. “My wife 
and little daughter lie ill in the house. 
Some say it is a plague. That is why my 
servants are gone away. But there, do I 
see you afraid, like all the rest? Run if 
you will, but in God’s mercy beg someone 
that you see to fetch us help.” 

“I do not fear,” answered Cadmar, “for 
I know something of healing. Let me see 
those who are ill.” 


[ 17 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


Quickly the man led him in, and after 
quietly watching and working over the 
sufferers a few moments, Cadmar min¬ 
gled his medicines and gave them. Then 
telling the man what to do he went out 
and cared for the animals. When he re¬ 
turned he found the woman and child 
asleep. 

“They are better,” whispered the man, 
joyfully. 

“Yes. Now give me food, and if thou 
wilt lend me a horse, and tell me where to 
go, I will visit other of the sick this 
night.” 

So all that night Cadmar journeyed 
through the darkness, stopping at every 
house, and in almost every one he found 
the fever. Gently he cared for the sick, 
gave his healing medicines, told the 
watchers what to do and departed. At 
dawn, exhausted, he returned to the inn. 
Here he was fed, and rested for a while. 

[18] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


But soon he took a fresh horse and all that 
day and far into the night he sought the 
sick and gave them the help they craved. 
Seven days he worked thus, rejoicing as 
of old in his triumph over disease and 
death. When the week was ended the 
fever had diminished. No one else had 
fallen ill and the sick were recovering. 
These were poor people for the most part 
but together they brought him a little 
money when he was ready to depart. He 
received it gladly for his little stock of 
medicines was depleted. Yet he valued 
more the thanks and blessings showered 
upon him. The landlord led out the best 
horse in his stables. 

“It is all I have now to give,” he said. 
“He carried you on a work of mercy here. 
Perhaps he may do the same again.” 

Cadmar went on his way rejoicing. 
Already he had done much to redeem his 
self-respect, but he was not yet content. 

[19] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


After some days’ journey he came to a vil¬ 
lage that seemed strangely poor and deso¬ 
late. A broad river ran close by it but 
between the village and the stream was a 
great swamp, and the fields which sur¬ 
rounded it lay low and damp. It was 
harvest time but the grain in the fields was 
poor and thin and the people working 
with it seemed dull and hopeless. Even 
the great mill on the river droned slowly 
through its ill-kept parts, as if the work it 
did were hardly worth while. As he 
looked around, Cadmar, who had studied 
the farms in the Land of the Shining 
River, saw much that could be done to 
improve these fields. There were no bet¬ 
ter farmers in the kingdom than those of 
his own province. 

In this village Cadmar decided to re¬ 
main. For a small sum he secured a little 
house that he could live in, The people 
[ 20 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

regarded him suspiciously at first, but he 
took up his work as if he were one of 
them. While he searched the swamp and 
fields for herbs he examined the land. 
His services as a physician were wel¬ 
comed and as he went on his work of 
healing he found time to talk of other 
things. The men were dull but he won 
the interest of a few. Not long after the 
harvest he had the owners of three fields 
adjoining the swamp, engaged in digging 
ditches that were to hold conduits for 
draining the surplus water from the land. 
There were those who scoffed at the idea, 
but the work went on. Inspired by their 
determination, a few others half-heart¬ 
edly began to dig ditches also. At last the 
work was finished and the conduits 
placed. Then came the spring with its 
heavy rains, and the planting season. 
There were many who watched the newly 
[ 21 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


drained fields as they turned to the plough 
and went soberly back to their own land, 
still too dank to receive the seed. 

When harvest time came these drained 
fields furnished a greater yield of grain 
than ever before, and far more than any 
others about. Almost with one accord, 
then, the owners of the other fields began 
to dig ditches. They drained part of the 
swamp itself, where the water was wont to 
overflow some fields. They were eager to 
listen to Cadmar and did his bidding in 
everything. He showed them how to put 
waste materials on the land to increase 
its richness. He taught them better ways 
of ploughing and preparing the soil. He 
encouraged them to mend their tools that 
they might do better work. The autumn 
and winter seasons passed quickly at these 
tasks. That spring men sang in the fields 
as the loam fell lightly from their plough- 

122] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


shares, or they scattered the seeds through 
the furrows. The women sang at their 
work in the houses and planted flowers 
in their yards. Cadmar had given them 
seeds from the flowers he had grown in 
profusion around his own home the sum¬ 
mer before. The children sang too and 
played new games that Cadmar taught 
them. When he went into the woods and 
meadows to gather herbs they followed 
him, and there he taught them to know 
the wild flowers and to listen to the wild 
birds’ songs. 

Quickly the days passed to Cadmar, 
and then the second harvest was ready. 
Bountiful was that harvest and the joy of 
the people was great. When the grain 
was cut and gathered they made a day of 
festival. Cadmar, feeling his work was 
finished, made ready to leave upon that 
day. He took with him no more than he 
[ 23 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


brought. Alone he rode forth, with a 
kind word to the villagers, who clasped 
his hand and bade him farewell. When 
he had gone a little way he paused upon a 
rising ground and looked back. Down 
the village street came the festival proces¬ 
sion, the children with flowers in their 
hands, the men bearing sheaves of grain, 
and the women carrying baskets laden 
with fruits of the garden. Their voices 
came up to him in the words of a rude 
harvest song. 

“Long years we had toiled and labored 
With only tears for our pain, 

Now Nature hath given a blessing, 

We have gathered abundance of grain. 

“She gave us soil, water, and sunshine, 
We never had done our part 
’Till we learned the blessing of labor 
That comes from a loving heart. 

[24] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


“Lo, we have toiled and labored, 
Forgotten in joy our pain, 

Kind Nature hath given a blessing, 

We have gathered abundance of grain.” 

Above and through the song sounded the 
hum of the mill, now in perfect order, 
preparing the grain for bread. Cadmar 
mused upon the sight before him, think¬ 
ing of the dank fields he had seen, and 
how wearily the mill had sounded, three 
harvests ago. “Have I done this?” he 
thought. He was conscious of pride in 
the change he had wrought, yet he was 
not satisfied. The refrain of the song 
came again, 

“Kind Nature hath given her blessing, 
We have gathered abundance of grain.” 

A chorus of joy, yet something seemed 
missing from it. The feeling that this 
[ 25 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


was so only deepened the vague spirit of 
longing in his breast. He drew the golden 
disk from his bosom. Not once had he 
looked upon it since he left the city. Now 
he saw that the jewels had regained their 
old brightness but noted sadly that there 
was still tarnish on the gold. He replaced 
it with a sigh. “I must seek the Richest 
Jewel,” he said. “Until I find it I shall 
not be satisfied.” So he rode away, long¬ 
ing to return to the Beautiful Gardens at 
home, but resolving to redeem his honor 
in the city before he went again to his 
father’s house. 

In the city he took up his work where 
he had laid it down. Slowly he won back 
his reputation for skilled and kindly min¬ 
istration to the sick. He looked fre¬ 
quently at his golden disk but though the 
tarnish diminished little by little there 
was always a spot remaining. Nor did he 
forget his quest for the Richest Jewel. 

[26] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


Wherever he went he hoped to find it. 
He made a new friend and thought per¬ 
haps his quest was ended; but when he 
looked at the disk there was no jewel in 
the center, only a new, rare ruby burned 
beside the other two. 

One day in a gathering of his acquaint¬ 
ances Cadmar met a beautiful girl whose 
name was Martha. She was as fair as his 
sister Iris and he soon found her charac¬ 
ter to be as lovely as her face. Though 
her father was a rich man she did not live 
in idleness. Her mother was dead and she 
had charge of her father’s household. In 
all the city no servants were better trained 
nor more contented than her father’s. 
Neither did she scorn to use her own 
hands in labor. From the beginning of 
their acquaintance Martha had looked 
with favor upon Cadmar. It was not long 
before the love between them was mutu¬ 
ally acknowledged. On the day that 

[27] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


Martha pledged herself to become his 
wife, Cadmar’s heart sang with joy. “At 
last,” he exulted, “at last I have found the 
Richest Jewel. Well may it surpass all 
others.” He made haste to look at the 
disk but to his amazement the center was 
as before. At one side, however, glowed 
a new gem, an exquisite turqoise, as blue 
and fair as the deepest azure in a summer 
sky. But Cadmar, rejoicing in its beauty, 
wondered that there could yet be a gem 
more glorious. 

In a few months Cadmar and Martha 
were wedded and went back to the Land 
of the Shining River. When Cadmar was 
alone with his father he showed him the 
pendant with all its shining jewels. Saven 
was glad for their brightness but grieved 
because of the tarnished spot. The year 
following Cadmar’s return there came to 
him one of his friends, Grathor, with 
whom he had studied at school. There 


[28] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 

was great joy in this reunion but Cadmar 
was not the only one who gave Grathor 
welcome. Before many days passed he 
revealed the purpose of his coming and 
Iris became his bride. Grathor built a 
home for his fair wife on the opposite 
bank of the Sereno. There were gardens 
too, in which flowers of all kinds 
bloomed, but one flower was there in 
greater profusion than all the rest. In 
their season iris of every known variety 
and hue blossomed there. For these and 
for its mistress Grathor’s house came to 
be known as the House of the Fair Iris. 

Time went on and a son was born to 
Cadmar and Martha. Cadmar in the joy 
of fatherhood said to himself, “Now, 
surely the Richest Jewel is mine. I have 
a son to love.” He looked at his pendant 
and found there a splendid new diamond 
sparkling among the rest. “This is 
strange, indeed,” thought he. “I believed 

[ 29 ] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


I had the joy of every love that life can 
give. It will be happiness indeed to know 
one that shall surpass all I now enjoy.” 
But he knew not where to seek this and 
because he had it not he was unhappy. 
Then he remembered how the words 
from his mother’s book had once com¬ 
forted him, and finding it again he read in 
it and at length came to this promise. 
“For every one that asketh receiveth; and 
he that seeketh findeth; and, to him that 
knocketh it shall be opened.” After this 
he read diligently in the book and thought 
deeply over what he read. One day as he 
sat in the gardens reading he came sud¬ 
denly on these words. “For God so loved 
the world that he gave his only begotten 
son, that whosoever believeth in him shall 
not perish, but have everlasting life.” 
Then Cadmar understood all that he had 
read in the book, and looking up to 
heaven he praised the Creator of the 

[30] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


world and thanked God for all the bless¬ 
ings he enjoyed. 

“Never,” said Cadmar, “was such love 
as this, which gave all things to all men. 
It surpasseth the love of father or mother, 
sister, friends, wife or child. I have 
found the Richest Jewel!” Half fearing, 
he drew out the silver cord with its pend¬ 
ant. Lo, in the very center of the disk, 
shone a matchless gem. It was a Pearl of 
Great Price, lustrous, wonderful, and in 
the soft radiance that it shed around, all 
the other jewels were ten fold lovelier 
than before. But that which made Cad¬ 
mar to rejoice was that the last stain of 
tarnish had vanished from the gold. Just 
then memory reawakened in his mind the 
refrain of the harvest song the villagers 
had sung. He knew now what was miss¬ 
ing from it. He sang the words softly but 
they were changed upon his lips. 

[31] 


THE RICHEST JEWEL 


“Praise God who hath given a blessing, 

Praise Him for the harvest of grain.” 

With a song in his heart he went quickly 
to share the joy of his new treasure. From 
that time more than earthly joy reigned 
in the two homes on the banks of the 
Sereno. 

The years passed by. Old Saven died 
and was laid beside his wife. In the 
House of the Fair Iris there were two 
sons and two daughters. Cadmar’s son 
had grown to be a stalwart lad, handsome 
and noble as his father had been. There 
came a day when the busy Martha lay 
down to rest forever. Cadmar, full of 
grief, folded the quiet hands that had 
served so many, and it seemed to him that 
a voice was saying gently, “Well done, 
good and faithful servant, enter thou into 
the joy of the Lord.” 

Again the House of the Beautiful Gar- 

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THE RICHEST JEWEL 


dens was closed. Cadmar, as his father 
and grandfather had done, was taking his 
son away to the schools in the city. In the 
course of time they came back to the Land 
of the Shining River. Again there was a 
fair young mistress in the House of the 
Beautiful Gardens and the voices of little 
children were heard there. 

There Cadmar, the son of Saven, lived 
the remainder of his days. Whoever 
needed help came to him and none went 
away without spiritual as well as physical 
comfort. His fame went abroad and 
people came from distant parts of the 
kingdom to enjoy the benefits of his skill 
upon their sick bodies, and to listen to his 
words which wrought equal healing in 
their souls. No other man in all that land 
was so loved and reverenced. After a 
time people no longer spoke of the House 
of the Beautiful Gardens. It was now the 
House of the Kind Physician. 

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THE RICHEST JEWEL 


At length the service of Cadmar was 
ended. They found him one day lying 
quite peacefully as though he slept, and 
by his side was an open book. One drew 
back his robe to look at the golden disk, 
but the silver cord was broken and the 
pendant had slipped away. Then they 
took up the book and found this passage 
which had been marked with a cross, “I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished 
my course, I have kept the faith.” 

So Cadmar was laid with his fathers 
and Marthen, his son, became master in 
that house. Of Glador, son of Marthen, 
there is a tale to be told. 


[34] 
































